


may all your wishes come true

by ColorMeParanoid



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood is great at giving gifts, Birthday Fluff, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Insecure Alec Lightwood, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Magnus Bane's Birthday, meeting the friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:42:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27964739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid
Summary: What do you get for an immortal warlock who can get anything he wants with a simple snap of his fingers?Or, Alec struggles to come up with a perfect gift for Magnus' birthday, underestimating his own resourcefulness all the way through
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 10
Kudos: 184





	may all your wishes come true

**Author's Note:**

> Somewhat of a sequel for my [previous story](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26431219) about Alec's birthday, but it's not necessary to read it before this one. 
> 
> Not beta read

Alec slumped into his office chair with a groan, nearly breaking his tablet as he slammed it onto the desk, feeling beyond frustrated.

Magnus’ birthday was just around the corner and Alec still didn’t know what to get him.

Flowers he got him on a whim a few days ago were still in full blossom, placed right on the little table in the foyer which Magnus claimed was solely for decoration purposes, but Alec knew he did it just to brag about his thoughtful boyfriend to his clients, if only to make said boyfriend blush. Magnus insisted on watering them every time he passed by them and Alec was shocked they were still alive.

Magic was the only reasonable explanation he could come up with.

No, he needed to go bigger than some small tokens of affection that he occasionally got for Magnus just because he could. This was his birthday and with the way Magnus was fretting about the upcoming party, he got the feeling that it was an important one at that.

But what was he supposed to give a man who had everything? What Magnus wanted, he got with a snap of his fingers. Unless he was in the mood for shopping, which is when Alec did his best to steer clear of him and his favorite black card with seemingly unlimited funds.

The price tag of something was never Magnus’ concern, unless it was a matter of principle. If he saw an item of clothing he liked or a new eyeshadow palette that he really wanted, he didn’t put it on a list and debated with himself for weeks if he could justify getting it like Alec would. He simply… went out and got it. Just like that.

As a result, there wasn’t anything he really needed or really, really wanted save for some rare potion ingredients that Alec wouldn’t even know where to start looking for. He’d gotten desperate enough to look up ideas from the mundanes on the Internet, but everything was so generic and impersonal. He could, of course, buy Magnus literally anything in the world and he'd love it and Alec knew that, okay? He knew that Magnus would be more than happy to get a new novelty mug with a lame cat related pun to add to his rapidly growing collection or another set of his favorite brands of nail polish.

But it just didn’t feel like enough. Magnus had given him so much in these short few months they’ve been together and all Alec wanted to do was return the favor. A few bottles of nail polish were a good start, but that was only scratching the surface.

To make matters worse, Magnus was throwing a little party to celebrate his birthday, which Alec was expecting. He knew what he was signing up for when he started dating Magnus, the self proclaimed party king. Alec wasn’t exactly a party person but he was more than willing to suffer through one to make him happy. That wasn’t the part he had a problem with.

The issue was that this party would also be the first time he’d officially meet Magnus’ closest friends, his family. He’d already met Raphael, of course, through their cabinet meetings – and through the unfortunate incident with him and Isabelle. And he’d heard so much about Catarina and Ragnor - who was coming out of hiding after faking his death for the first time - and Alec was nowhere near ready to meet them, let alone all at the same time.

Magnus himself had said on more than one occasion that they were ridiculously overprotective of him and while he assured Alec that they would come to like him once they got to know him, Alec wasn't as confident. He was never good at leaving great first impressions. 

It didn't help that he was a Shadowhunter, either. There was no love lost between their kinds and everyone made sure to keep reminding him of that.

So, on top of coming up with a perfect gift for Magnus, he had to make sure that it was good enough to impress his friends, too, to prove that he actually cared and wasn't with Magnus just to piss off his family like majority of the people seemed to think.

Magnus had repeatedly told Alec that he didn’t need any gifts as Alec kept badgering him with questions about his preferences on various items, that just his presence would be more than enough. He was well aware of Alec’s innate need to please the people around him and how much stress it gave him on the regular. But sadly, that need wasn’t easily beat into submission and that wasn't about to change now.

“You’re still figuring out what to get for Magnus?” Izzy’s voice startled him and he looked up to see her standing in the doorway of his office.

Alec’s tortured sigh was all the answer she needed.

“My offer still stands,” she said, walking in and perching herself on top of his desk. “I can go with you to the mall and help you pick out something that Magnus would like.”

Alec shook his head. “Thank you for offering, but I’ve got this.”

He was confident that Izzy knew what she was doing and that Magnus would definitely enjoy whatever she picked out, but Alec wanted to be the one to come up with a gift. Choosing between two items that Izzy singled out wasn’t the way he wanted to do it. Magnus was his boyfriend. Alec could do better than that.

“Magnus will love anything you get him, you do know that, right?” she asked with barely concealed amusement, looking all fond at Alec acting like a lovesick fool.

Alec groaned. “I _know_.” Magnus had made it clear that all he wanted was Alec’s presence, gift or no gift. If he got him anything, it would just be a bonus. And Alec believed him, but that didn't mean that he wasn't even going to try to come up with something good.

“Did you consider maybe giving him an experience instead of a physical item?” Alec did perk up at that suggestion. “Maybe take a few days off work and organize a trip somewhere, just for the two of you?”

Alec nodded, mind already whirring with the possibilities. Magnus did always mention how he wanted to travel the world with him and introduce him to so many new things. He would be thrilled if Alec got a few days off of work and they could spend them uninterrupted, together, like they’d done for his own birthday.

But travelling usually entailed Magnus portaling them to specific locations and it seemed kind of stupid to hire a tour guide when Magnus likely already knew all of the best places to visit. It would be a thoughtful gesture, sure, but not exactly what Alec was aiming for here. Plus, giving himself _as_ a gift still felt a little too presumptuous and made him squirm in embarrassment.

Though, it did give him a good idea that he thought might fit all of his self imposed requirements.

“Thanks, Iz,” he told her, already picking up his tablet and getting to work. “But I think I can handle it from here.”

She raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but Alec didn't offer any more information. The idea was a bit crazy and out there but it was the best one he had in weeks. It would be for the best if he didn’t share it with anyone just in case they shot it down before he ever managed to try making it work.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” she said with a shake of her head as Alec picked up his phone.

"Thanks for the help," he said absent mindedly, already distracted.

He had some important calls to make.

*

Alec was uncharacteristically anxious as he made his way into Magnus’ building on the evening of his birthday party. He hadn’t been this nervous to be here since the very early days of their relationship when even the most minor things made his palms sweat and his heart nearly beat out of his chest.

The music was loud enough that he could feel it reverberate through the walls and all the way down to the lobby. Taking in a steady breath, Alec made his way up the stairs and towards the loft.

It was no surprise when the door opened up by itself to welcome him inside. Despite having a key to the loft, he hadn't had a chance to use it because the wards always all but dragged him inside, leaving him without any doubt that his presence was always wanted in Magnus' home.

Though, as he stepped inside, he realized quickly that tonight this wasn’t just Magnus’ home - it was also apparently a party central. There were so many people crowded into this small space - well, what used to be a small place. Alec was pretty sure that the loft was at least twice as big than it usually was, but he couldn’t be quite sure.

He got some odd looks when he walked in, but thankfully no one decided to play hero and let him be. Most people already knew that their relationship was as serious as can be and the only people who still made it out to be an issue were the Clave. Even the Shadowhunters in Alec’s Institute had gotten used to Magnus’ constant presence and no one even batted an eye anymore.

The door shut softly behind him and Alec peered around the loft, trying to locate his boyfriend. He felt out of place here, among all of these intricately dressed people, even though his siblings assured him he looked good. He’d decided that it was about time he wore the sweater that Magnus had gifted him and paired it with his tightest black jeans that Magnus was particularly fond of. But Magnus was nowhere to be found.

Alec had never felt more out of his element than he did now. He wished that his siblings were able to attend the party, as they’d all been invited, but the Institute was having an increased amount of demon activity lately and they’d all stepped in to cover for him so he could attend the party himself.

Only now that he was actually here, he wished he was the kind of asshole who had the heart to pretend to be busy and just stay at the Institute, promising to make it up to Magnus some other time.

But no, that wasn’t an option. Magnus had gone well out of his way to make sure Alec had the best birthday he could possibly have. And the least Alec could do was return the favor. He could easily survive one night of partying. Magnus had even promised him, completely unprompted, that he’d make sure to be by his side as much as he possibly could to make him more comfortable. Alec would never ask that of him but the sentiment was nice. 

Seeing as Magnus was nowhere to be found, Alec made his way to the bar. He figured that some liquid courage couldn’t hurt. On the way there, though, he spotted a large table absolutely filled to the brim with colorfully wrapped gifts. With so many people here, the table was absolutely overflowing with boxes, each one more beautiful than the rest, almost as if this was a competition. And Alec knew, with a deep pit of dread in his gut, that he’d definitely lose if it was. He thought of the envelope tucked away in his back pocket and contemplated running away while he still had a chance.

There was no way he could add a crumpled white envelope on the table filled with gifts that were more elaborately wrapped than anything he’d seen in his life. It would probably get lost in the chaos, completely overlooked. Worse, someone would see him put it there and mock him for not even putting in some effort to get his boyfriend a decent gift.

Before he had a chance to over think things any further than he already had, he heard Magnus’ voice calling out for him.

“Alexander! You’ve made it,” he said, almost in disbelief, as if he thought that Alec wouldn’t show up at all. As if that was ever even an option. It helped fix Alec’s resolve to stay, if nothing else. “And you’re wearing the sweater.”

Magnus looked him up and down with clear interest and Alec cleared his throat, painfully aware of their audience.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” When Magnus leaned up for a kiss, Alec returned it with only a second of hesitation. He was getting more and more comfortable with public displays of affection the longer they were together, and seeing Magnus’ surprised but incredibly pleased reaction to it every time made it more than worth it. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you, darling,” Magnus murmured against his lips, kissing him quickly again before pulling away. “Come join us in the kitchen. I have someone I want you to meet.”

Alec took his hand and let himself be led towards the kitchen. Before they stepped inside though, Alec stopped, making Magnus turn to him with concerned frown.

“Is everything okay?”

Alec nodded and reached into his back pocket for the letter. He did the best he could to smooth it out, but it was beyond help at this point. The jeans were pretty tight and putting it there in the first place had been a bit of a struggle.

“Here,” he said, handing it over to Magnus before he changed his mind. “I know it’s not much, but…” he trailed off, embarrassed. Maybe he should have listened to Isabelle and allowed her to help him. At least he knew that good clothes would be appreciated, even though they’d completely destroy his wallet in the process.

“Didn’t I tell you not to get me anything?” Magnus playfully scolded, but he was looking at the envelope in his hands with unbridled curiosity. “I need to get my letter opener for this,” he muttered to himself as he examined it from all sides and angles.

Alec rolled his eyes. “Just rip it open.”

Magnus gasped, eyes glinting with humor. “And risk damaging whatever's inside? I don’t think so.”

“Magnus!” someone called out from the kitchen. “We’re out of tequila!”

Magnus rolled his eyes. “Check the cabinet all the way to the left!” he called back, grabbing Alec’s hand again and leading him into the kitchen which was surprisingly sparse with people. There, he was faced with the people he knew were the most important people in Magnus’ life.

He easily recognized Ragnor Fell, as he was one of his old professors back at the academy; one of his favorite ones, but Magnus had made him promise to never tell him that. He hadn’t changed a bit, but that was to be expected from any immortal warlock other than Magnus.

Next, he spotted Raphael who looked surprisingly mellow and more relaxed than Alec had ever seen him before. It was even more surprising than the blue skinned woman taking two bottles of tequila from the cabinet and raising them up in the air as if making an offering to the gods.

“I just got out of my 24 hour shift,” she said at the looks this got her. “I’m here to party.”

“At least grab the rest of us some glasses,” Ragnor said. He narrowed his eyes at Alec. “You look oddly familiar.”

“I used to be in your class.”

Ragnor considered him for a moment, still trying to place him and Alec hoped he never did. He still cringed when he thought back to his essay full of his childish hopes and dreams for the future. Thankfully, Ragnor had never said anything about it then, simply given him a pass and never brought it up again. Though a part of him hoped he made Ragnor proud with all of the hard work he was doing today to bring their kinds together.

Magnus interrupted before Ragnor could make the connection between the two.

“Everyone,” he announced and all eyes turned to the two of them. “This is Alec, my lovely boyfriend. Alec, you know Raphael. And these are Ragnor and Catarina.”

Alec did his best not to fidget as Magnus went through the introductions, feeling completely out of his element as they stared him down without any shame.

“What?” Catarina teased Magnus. “Are we not lovely enough for you?”

“You’re a pain in my ass, all of you,” Magnus said with a roll of his eyes, but he was clearly amused by her antics. “Now behave. I don’t want you scaring him off.”

Raphael snorted. “If your Shadowhunter boyfriend is scared off by a few Downworlders then I don’t know what to tell you.”

Magnus narrowed his eyes at him, though a smirk was tugging at the corner of his lips. “Be nice. Jealousy does not become you, my darling boy.”

Raphael looked scandalized by the words but before he could sputter out his outraged protest, Magnus had already moved on to another topic, making sure to involve Alec into the conversation as much as possible. They were all clearly wary of him, and Alec didn't blame them one bit. He wished he was witty enough to break the tension between them with one well worded remark. But he wasn't as personable as any of his siblings when it came to meeting new people. If Magnus hadn’t actively pursued him the way that he did, they would have never gotten together. 

Watching Magnus in his element was incredibly satisfying and it wasn't until he noticed that Magnus had gotten his hands on a letter opener that his anxiety returned tenfold.

“You’re going to open it now?” he blurted out before he could stop himself, which immediately made everyone suspicious. He was expecting Magnus to leave it for later once the guests had already left like he planned on doing with the rest of the gifts. He wasn’t prepared for him to do it now and right in front of him. Shit.

“Yes?” Magnus gave him a strange look before his eyes widened in shock. “Is it something X-rated?” he said in a low whisper, seemingly delighted but it was loud enough to catch the attention of literally all of his friends.

Alec could feel himself blush even as he vigorously shook his head.

“It’s not,” he said, feeling all flustered. “It’s just… it’s really not a big deal.”

Alec watched with mounting embarrassment as Magnus carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the stark white paper folded inside. It was creased to high heaven and Alec definitely should have gone the other route and simply framed the damn thing, kept it as pristine and official as it was when it first arrived. But putting it in a frame seemed a little too forward when he still had no idea what Magnus' reaction would be. And it would be far more humiliating to display his failure for all to see. This way, Magnus could just "put it away" if he didn't like it and that would be that.

Carefully, Magnus set aside the envelope and unfolded the paper. He started reading it and his brows furrowed in obvious confusion. To be fair, Alec would be confused too if he'd been gifted an official document for his birthday that he hadn't requested himself. It was somewhat of an odd gift to receive, especially from a romantic partner.

The document wasn't very long and the seal on the end was very clearly real and imbued with magic to prove it – so Alec didn't know why Magnus kept staring at the paper like he couldn't comprehend what was happening. He'd read through the whole thing at least three times by now and he still hadn't said a word.

"Magnus," Catarina said, growing concerned as well. "What is it?"

Well shit. Now Alec was going to have a whole group of concerned people to justify his choices to. How fun.

The words finally broke Magnus out of his trance and he looked at Alec with tears glistening in his golden eyes, the glamour seemingly forgotten.

"How?" he demanded, voice coming out all choked up. He didn't ask if it was real, because the magic in the official seal was more than enough proof of that. Alec had made sure to leave absolutely no doubt for this exact reason. The last thing he wanted to do was make it look as if his gift was some sort of cruel prank.

Alec shrugged, acting casual though he felt the furthest thing from it. "You know that I've been looking to expand our Cabinet programs into more Institutes, since I've gotten a few requests over the last few months. I figured there'd be no harm in contacting some of them first, either. The Head of the Institute in Lima wasn't exactly interested, but the High Warlock seemed more than happy to hear me out."

Maybe a little too much, even. Lorenzo Rey was... quite a character, to put it mildly. All Alec had to do was ask some questions and let him talk and tire himself out.

Getting Lorenzo to lift Magnus' banishment from the country, however, was a lot more challenging. He seemed to be holding quite a lot of grudges against Magnus for a reason he refused to disclose. The two of them had a lot of history to back it up, according to Magnus, so it really could have been anything.

But with a little effort and a lot of talking in circles, Alec had managed to convince Lorenzo that banishing the High Warlock of Brooklyn from country wasn't such a great business move considering how involved Magnus was in the Downworld community. People clearly didn't care about his banishment, but by keeping it going, Lorenzo was just making a fool out of himself. It had certainly given Lorenzo pause and he'd excused himself to think about it some more. Alec was sure that it wasn't going to work, but to his surprise, he only had to wait for a few days before Lorenzo reached out to him.

In the end, the whole process took almost no time at all, though Alec did have to promise to stop over for a drink if he was ever in the country. Lorenzo had heavily hinted at his own interest despite Alec's reason behind all of the calls in the first place, but he figured that was just a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.

The most important thing was that he'd managed to accomplish his goal. Though now he was starting to worry he might have overstepped some boundary he didn’t even know was there.

"Alexander," Magnus said, dropping the letter onto the counter and pulled Alec into a passionate kiss. Definitely a little too passionate for public, but Magnus seemed to need this to express his emotions and it's not like it was a hardship to give into him so he did. He'd be embarrassed about it later.

By the time Magnus pulled away, both of them were breathless and it was the easiest thing in the world to pull Magnus into a tight hug that Magnus immediately returned.

"Thank you, darling," he whispered. "I can't even begin to describe how much this means to me."

A clearing of throat finally caught their attention and they turned to find all of Magnus' friends staring at them with various expressions ranging from amusement to worry to disgust.

"Well?" Catarina said, one eyebrow quirked in question.

"Read the letter," Magnus told her with a grin, still plastered against Alec's side. Not that Alec was complaining. Holding Magnus in his arms was one of his favorite activities.

Catarina carefully picked up the paper and read through it. Both of her eyebrows rose high on her forehead as she read through it again.

"Huh." She looked Alec over with an almost approving look. "I have to say, Lightwood, I'm impressed."

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Raphael cut in, clearly displeased at having been left in the dark.

"My banishment from Peru has been lifted!"

Raphael frowned and Ragnor grabbed the letter. "Seriously?"

"There's an official seal and everything," Catarina added, eyes still on Alec. "How exactly did you manage to pull this off anyway? Rey is a master at holding grudges and we never thought he'd give this one up as long as he had power over Magnus. And trust me, we've all tried."

Alec shrugged, uncomfortable with all of the attention aimed at him. "We just talked, really?" Everyone shot him a disbelieving look at that. "Well, _he_ did most of the talking. I just did my best to convince him that by doing this to you, he was ruining his own image and reputation, especially considering that both of you were in such high positions." Magnus frowned at that and Alec quickly added, "And we also met up that one time for him to sign the papers."

"You what?" Magnus gasped. "You went to Peru without me?"

"Only to his house," Alec was quick to explain. "He said he wanted me to see him sign the papers in person so he invited me over for drinks." Alec rolled his eyes as he remembered that hellish experience. "He mostly just walked me around his house and showed me all of those creepy portraits of himself and made blatant innuendos about "stealing me away" from you."

As if that would ever happen. Even if Magnus wasn't in the picture, Lorenzo was the last person Alec would ever want to be with. It was just a personal preference. Magnus was all sly and coy but Alec knew that he'd never lie to him about the important stuff. Lorenzo, on the other hand, Alec couldn't trust as far as he could throw him.

Magnus scoffed. "Typical. He'd always been in this imaginary competition with me for whatever reason, always wanted anything I had. Of course he'd try to seduce you away from me."

Alec took his phone out of his pocket and opened up his most recent conversation with Lorenzo before he handed it to Magnus.

"If this is his idea of seduction, he's really going to have to up his game."

"That son of a bitch." Magnus scowled at the phone. He scrolled through the many, _many_ messages Lorenzo had sent him over the last few weeks, mostly lame attempts of flirting in between clearly disinterested question about his Cabinet meetings. He'd also not so subtly tried digging up some information about Magnus that Alec had expertly dodged.

"He is very persistent," Alec agreed.

Magnus handed him back his phone and turned to him with a concerned frown. "Did he ask for anything in return? Warlocks love making sneaky deals or gather favors for later on. I'd hate for you to be stuck in a deal with him of all people."

Alec shook his head. He'd been really careful with his words and while Lorenzo had tried to swindle him more than once, he hadn't succeeded. "All he wanted was for the two of us to stop for dinner when we visit Peru. But that's about it."

"Of course he did," Magnus muttered to himself as he wrapped an arm around Alec's waist and pulled him in even closer. He placed a fervent kiss against his lips and all but purred, "I guess I'll just have to show him exactly who you belong to then, won't I?"

Alec shivered at the blatant display of possessiveness. Magnus claimed he wasn't jealous or possessive and that Alec was his own person to do as he wished – and that was true for the most part. He did trust that Alec would never cheat, but that didn't mean he was thrilled when other people who clearly knew about their relationship got a little too close for comfort.

Alec would be lying is he said he minded it.

Ragnor snorted. "I don't think anyone has any doubts about that."

Alec's whole face felt like it was on fire and Magnus took a step away, chastised.

"How about another round of drinks to celebrate?" he offered and everyone cheered.

After their drinks were gone, everyone dispersed into the living room to the actual party and Alec was grateful at the lack of interrogation, though it was only a degree better than Magnus leading him around the room and introducing him to anyone who'd listen as his "lovely boyfriend Alexander" who he loved _very_ much. He’d definitely had one drink too many, but he was so happy he was nearly glowing with it so Alec let him have his fun even though he was pretty sure his face will be permanently stained red after tonight.

As promised, Magnus spent most of the night at his side, stepping away occasionally to check on certain guests and to diffuse any disputes that arose between them. Alec even made an effort to be sociable and chatted with a few vaguely familiar faces and made a few new friends. He was the odd one out here and people were not shy when it came to asking probing personal question, but none of them pushed it too far, probably out of respect for Magnus who'd done a damn fine job of making sure _everyone_ knew just how serious he was about Alec.

The message was loud and clear – fuck with Alec and there would be a problem.

Finally, a few hours later, the loft was once again empty save for a handful of stragglers and Alec was beyond relieved. He'd had fun, but he did not have the mental stamina to keep this up all night long. Magnus' friends left the last, promising to stop by again soon for dinner, just them to get to know Alec better and to get caught up some more without any distractions. They were far less wary of Alec than they were at the start of the night and Alec considered it as a win.

Once the loft was cleared out and Magnus had cleaned up most of the mess with a few waves of his hand, Alec went to the bedroom to let Chairman out now that he wasn't under the risk of being trampled or let out. After that, he found Magnus out on the balcony, absolutely devouring the leftover appetizers and couldn't help but laugh. Magnus offered him a sheepish smile, acting like he'd been caught doing something untoward.

"As a host you don't really get many opportunities to eat," he explained, holding the tray towards Alec who took one of the pastries and nearly moaned at the taste. He'd been too nervous to eat and he was starving. "Plus, they're delicious. I've really outdone myself this time."

Alec hummed in agreement but kept his compliments at that. He figured saying that he didn't hate the party as much as he expected to didn't sound like much of an endorsement.

They sat there on the balcony, enjoying the peace and silence along with the food and sips of wine. Alec was exhausted and he was feeling pleasantly buzzed from all of the alcohol. Magnus, the perfect host that he was, had made sure that Alec's glass was never empty. If he hadn't been making sure that Alec's drinks were significantly less strong than the others, he would have probably been passed out somewhere in the living room by now.

"Did you have a nice time?" Alec asked when Magnus leaned into his side, resting his head on his shoulder.

Magnus sighed, a picture of content. "The best. Thank you for the gift again. It was incredibly thoughtful, but you shouldn't have gone through all of that trouble just for me."

"It was no trouble at all," Alec said, and though it was a bit of a lie, he meant every word. The result was well worth the effort and all of the stress.

"Does the part of the gift also happen to be you taking a week off of work so we could go on a romantic trip to Peru?" Magnus blinked up at him hopefully, though Alec knew it was just a joke, simple wishful thinking. He wished for the same, but their jobs were too important and busy for such indulgences. At least at that moment in time.

"I'll see what I can do," he promised anyway. It might not be a full week, but he'll be damned if he didn't manage to carve out at least one weekend out of his busy schedule just for this trip, whether the Clave liked it or not.

"Thank you, darling. You’re so good to me."

Magnus leaned in for a kiss and they stayed wrapped around one another on the balcony until the chill in the air became a little too harsh and Magnus couldn't keep his yawns concealed any longer.

"Come on," Alec said, getting up and giving Magnus a helping hand to do the same. "It's time for bed."

Magnus complied, though that didn't stop him from voicing his displeasure about the delay of his plans for the night involving just the two of them. They were pretty ambitious considering the fact that Magnus could barely keep his eyes open.

"I don't have to be in the Institute until tomorrow night." He helped Magnus undress once they made their way into the bedroom, looking up at him from where he was kneeling on the floor and untying his shoes. "We'll have plenty of time to continue this celebration tomorrow."

"But then it won't be my birthday anymore," Magnus said, pouting.

Alec bit at his lip to keep from smiling and decided not to point out the fact that it stopped officially being Magnus' birthday hours ago.

"You're right," he agreed instead, unbuckling Magnus' belt with practiced ease and sliding it out of the loops. Next came Magnus' signature leather pants, the fit too tight to fit anything underneath them. Even after months of dating Alec couldn't understand how Magnus got into pants such as these that were a nightmare to get out of. Even now, it took a lot of pulling and wriggling from Magnus' side to get them off. No wonder Magnus had a tendency of always banishing his clothes instead of letting Alec undress him.

Once the pants were finally off, Alec pushed Magnus until he was half sprawled out on his bed, a startled sound escaping his lips. His shirt had been unbuttoned but was still hanging off his shoulders and he looked adorably befuddled, eyes wide and hair an absolute mess.

"This okay?" Alec checked as he trailed a hand suggestively from Magnus side all the way down to his knee.

Magnus breath hitched and he propped himself up onto his elbows, eyes shining gold in the dim light of the room as he vigorously nodded his head.

"This is the best birthday ever," he breathed out as Alec got to work and Alec had to agree, though it did leave him with a conundrum.

How the hell was he supposed to top this next year?

(The very next year, at a party in this same loft that had by then officially become both of their home, Alec invites Magnus out onto the balcony for some semblance of privacy. He makes a toast to them both and all they've managed to accomplish in such a short time before he sinks down onto one knee and pulls out a ring that had been burning a hole in his pocket for months.

There's Alec's fumbling speech about love and forever and tears and a very enthusiastic “ _yes”_ that Alec is pretty sure could be heard all the way to Edom, followed by cheers from all their friends who have unashamedly kept watch from the inside.

All in all, Alec would say, it was a pretty good follow up as far as birthdays went.)

((A honeymoon in Peru didn't sound half bad either.)) 


End file.
